Wheelbarrow Farm was founded in the spring of 2008 on a 10 acre parcel of land, about an hour northeast of Toronto, Ontario. From the outset, our mission has been to grow high quality vegetables with a minimal impact on the environment. The humble wheelbarrow became our symbol and emphasized the human scale of the farm business.
Our head farmer, Tony Neale wasn’t raised on a farm, or the next generation from a farm family. He’s a first generation, self-taught farmer, who started his path with a farming apprenticeship at Linnaea Farm, in British Columbia. After completing the program in 2007, Tony moved back east to Ontario, to explore farming opportunities and a year later, ended up renting land from his father’s new property just outside of Uxbridge, Ontario.
That first spring, an acre of land was ploughed and the first seeds were planted. Tony soon realized he not only needed to develop his farming experience, but also construction, marketing, finance, sales, and so on. As each year passed, Tony would hone his skills for growing without the use of pesticides or herbicides, as well as implement the permaculture principles he had taken an interest in. Despite many mistakes along the way, things took shape and Wheelbarrow Farm grew, going from 1 acre in production in 2008, to 7 acres by 2018.
In March 2018, Tony teamed up with long-time friends, Debbie Kinoshita and Garrett Maxfield, and together purchased the farm from Tony’s father. Compatible both as friends and business partners, they each bring our own set of unique skills to the business. Debbie has many years experience in design, sales and marketing, while Garrett’s background is in food security, non-profit accounting and human resources. With a team-focused approach, Wheelbarrow Farm has expanded growing operations to over 50 different types of vegetable crops, flowers, fruit and nuts trees to service Toronto farmers’ markets and a CSA program. The team has also taken on larger projects, such as converting the farm to run on solar energy and investing in Canada’s first Solectrac electric tractor.
Going forward, Wheelbarrow Farm will be looking for ways we can expand our impact in the world and to make it a healthier, more beautiful and just place to live. We hope you can join us along this journey!
Welcome to Wheelbarrow Farm....a beautiful video shot and edited by Adam Pereira.